Car Review: 2013 Nissan Altima SV

Originally published: January 9, 2013

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Although more practical crossovers are still flying off new car dealer lots, there’s still a big market for conservative, “girl-next-door” four-door family sedans. It’s a fact supported by a host of new offerings in the segment for 2013, one of which is the new Nissan Altima.

Since it replaced the Nissan Stanza in 1993, the Altima’s been an important model for Nissan dealers — to the point that the six-year old, fourth-generation 2012 model outsold other popular Japanese family sedans such as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry in Canada last year.

Unlike Honda, which is sticking with both two- and four-door models for its also-new-for-2013 Accord, the Altima Coupe has been canned. Which leaves the front-wheel-drive, five-passenger sedan.

As competitive as the family sedan class is, so is 2013 Altima pricing. Base, four-cylinder S models start at $23,698. But that includes an automatic transmission of the continuously variable kind, whereas some rivals offer base models with manual gearboxes only. Fully loaded, six-cylinder Altima 3.5 SL models end up at $33,998

No one is buying a front-drive family sedan for the way it can carve a corner. But the 2013 Altima adds two new features that try to continue that tradition. If a bit too light in feel, a new Electronic Hydraulic Power-Assisted Steering adds a decidedly firm on-centre pushback. While the also-new Active Understeer Control brakes the Altima’s inside front wheel in a turn to aid in cornering. When pressed hard, you can feel it working. Out back, a redesigned multi-link rear suspension “steers” the rear wheels slightly when cornering hard. Overall, even if it doesn’t have the rock-solid feel of a Fusion, Accord or Passat, the new Altima responds well to the driver’s inputs.

My tester was a mid-range, four-cylinder $26,998 Altima 2.5 SV. It came suitably equipped with popular standard features like heated cloth seats, power moonroof and an upgraded audio system with the ability to plug and connect to just about any handheld device. The only options were a $900 navigation system and $135 for its Cayenne Red exterior colour.

The “2.5” in the Altima’s badge gives away the 182-horsepower 2.5-litre four-cylinder under its hood. Like the optional 3.5L V6 with 88 hp more, both are essential carryovers. Tech-heads will notice a lack of modern, sophisticated engine technologies — like direct-injection or turbocharging — that other automakers offer in their family sedans. But the Altima 2.5 SV’s fuel economy ratings are surprisingly good, despite the relative low-tech.

Transport Canada rates the Altima 2.5 SV at 7.4 L/100 km in the city and 5.0 on the highway — numbers none of the above-mentioned competition can match in non-hybrid form. My real-world experience was almost as good. During a snowy week that involved plenty of tire-spinning urban driving, I recorded an 8.2 L/100 km average.

Regardless of its parsimonious intentions, Nissan has always pitched the Altima as a fun-to-drive family sedan, which makes the Accord, also new-this-year Ford Fusion and new-last-year Kia Optima and Volkswagen Passat rivals. That potentially schizophrenic personality also makes the Altima one of the quickest family sedans you can buy. In drier conditions, the Nissan will go from rest to 100 km/h in just 7.6 seconds; 0.1 quicker than a CVT-equipped, four-cylinder Accord Sport I recently tested.

One reason the new Altima is so frugal — yet so fast — is the diet it’s been put on. The use of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel (among other solutions) means the 2013 model weighs about 37 kilograms lighter than the already-light-for-its-class 2012 iteration.

With no manual gearbox choice, though, Altima buyers are stuck with the mandatory CVT. And while it delivers those fantastic fuel economy scores and offers a Sport mode that pushes revs near the engine’s torque for quick throttle responses, there’s still too much torque steer and inherently unnatural sounding CVT whining and moaning. Despite Nissan into its second decade with its CVT technology, the new 2013 Accord’s CVT is much more natural in use.

Nissan’s cabin — especially its front seats — was a pleasure. Putting aside Nissan’s “zero-gravity” marketing gibberish, the new thrones upfront are both supportive and comfortable. The rest of the Altima’s interior was straightforward and easy-to-use, if a bit a plain in the overall design.